


Waiting in the cold

by Peccatium



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, can be read as platonic, uncertainty about characters whereabouts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 07:58:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11824410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peccatium/pseuds/Peccatium
Summary: Things go south when Jack and Rhys are down on Elpis. And apparently the bandits weren't the only ones who wanted to mess up their day.





	Waiting in the cold

It was cold. The hard stone ground underneath and the almost airless atmosphere of Elpis around him. Rhys had rolled up in a ball, hugging his legs close to himself as some sort of comfort. It wasn’t very effective. He was sitting on a small area, enclosed by stone walls with the ocean opening behind him after the long drop of a cliff.

He didn't know how long it had already been, an hour or maybe two… to be honest he didn't really want to know, all he wanted to focus on was Jack’s promise that everything was going to be alright.

Rhys tightened his hold on the pocket watch in his hand.

Jack had given it to him before he left. The cloaking mechanism embedded in it could only run for so long, but it was more for Jack’s peace of mind, than actual protection, as he fended of the hoard of Thrashers.

\--------

It was supposed to be just a short stay down on the moon of Pandora and Rhys had been so excited to see all the different plants and animals for the first time. Then their camp got raided by a group of exceptionally good equipped bandits, wielding guns that pierced even the specially made shields Jack and Rhys had on themselves in one hit.

They were forced to flee, which had the CEO grumbling about moon shooting the whole place once they were back on Helios, as they wandered around the rocky surface. It made Rhys smile, hearing all the threats that implied they would soon be back on the comfortable space station. The man always talked like that and it was always doing wonders to his mood. So he happily trotted along optimistically.

That is until they were surprised by a butt load of thresher trying to fuck up their day even more. Forcing them to take cover behind a rock. The stupid thing was, those bastards could surface anywhere. Fighting would be hard and fleeing, the normally preferred option of Rhys in these situations, was not possible. Jack had been wounded already from the bandit attack. He was limping a little but he still refused Rhys’s help taking care of their monster problem. Sure, he wasn't the best shot, but in his opinion any help would be better than no help.

But the CEO just wanted to know him to be safe, not caring for his own health. That trait was sweet, but more often than not it was driving Rhys up the wall. Apparently he was the only one of the two, who actually wanted to get him back in one piece.

Jack had ushered him into a remote corner no one would find fast. Then he had given him his pocked watch, which Rhys had vehemently tried to protest. With the build in cloaking device taking out threshers would be _way_ easier.

But Jack had just shoved the watch into his hands and ran off. Well, as fast as he could manage with his wounded leg. Rhys had heard the ghastly noises the threshers made, almost drowning out the gunshots from Jack's pistols, not long after.

Now it was quiet. Only the sounds of wind dragging dust around could be heard and it made him roll into himself even further. Rhys cast a glance to the indicator on his remaining oxygen. He had a lot of it, but the indicator was slowly creeping downwards. With his breathing even he would be able to last around another hour. Laying his head on his knees he closed his eyes while he tried to focus on the sound of the waved behind him. He hoped it would calm his racing thoughts a bit.

The fight was over, that was for sure.

The entrance to the little hideout, Rhys was huddled up in, was now blocked off though. What he could only presume was a stray thresher projectile, had knocked loose a bunch of large stones and closing of the only route. It was impossible to climb the walls and behind him was only a cliff hanging over the icy ocean.

He couldn’t get away from here. His only option was to wait.

The fight was over. It had been for some time now, with no gun shots echoing around the stones.

So why did Jack not come back?

**Author's Note:**

> Just a brain dump after I saw this picture: http://lingrimmart.tumblr.com/image/160123485945
> 
> Is jack dead? Is he alive? I don't know. Tell me what you think :3


End file.
